FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank is all but certain to keep policy unchanged on Thursday but with the economic recovery losing momentum and a strong euro dampening already-anaemic inflation expectations, it may set the stage for more stimulus later. Having pulled out the stops this spring to halt a historic economic decline across […]
JAKARTA – Tough restrictions will be reimposed in Jakarta from Monday (Sept 14), a move analysts have said is necessary but may be too little too late as the number of Covid-19 cases in the Indonesian capital surge to a record high pushing the healthcare system to the brink. Some 50,000 residents have been infected […]
BEIJING (REUTERS) – Chinese authorities have told major media outlets not to cover Walt Disney’s release of Mulan, in an order issued after controversy erupted overseas over the film’s links with the Xinjiang region, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Set to open in local theatres on Friday (Sept 11), Disney had high […]
China says Australian embassy in Beijing obstructed law enforcement in case of evacuated journalists
BEIJING (REUTERS) – China said on Thursday (Sept 10) the Australian embassy in China obstructed law enforcement when it sheltered two journalists who were wanted for questioning in the country and returned to Australia this week. Chinese police last week told correspondents from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Australian Financial Review (AFR) they […]
PHNOM PENH (REUTERS) – A Cambodian activist has been imprisoned for five years for plotting to overthrow the government, a court said on Thursday (Sept 10), bringing to 17 the number of administration opponents detained or convicted since late July. Pen Mom, 39, was found guilty on Wednesday of conspiring with self-exiled opposition party founder […]
COLOMBO (AFP) – International experts boarded an oil tanker stricken off Sri Lanka to begin salvage operations, the navy said on Thursday (Sept 10), as firefighters looked to contain a large oil slick in the Indian Ocean. A huge week-long blaze aboard the New Diamond was finally extinguished on Wednesday and though 270,000 tonnes of […]
SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) – When they opened the front door of the unit at Block 64 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh, volunteers from Keeping Hope Alive knew they were in for a long day. The one-room rental flat on the ground floor was so full of trash that none of them could get inside the […]
SYDNEY (BLOOMBERG) – The coronavirus pandemic is complicating the task of rooting out modern slavery by making it impossible for companies or investors to visit factory floors in many countries, adding to the challenges of addressing supply-chain risks. The economic shock caused by the coronavirus outbreak is also making people more vulnerable to exploitation, further […]
HANOI (REUTERS) – US State Department said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined several countries from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and “many other partners” in raising concerns about China’s “aggressive actions” in the South China Sea. South-east Asian foreign ministers kicked off a series of regional summits on Wednesday (Sept 9) […]
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Civil rights groups on Wednesday (Sept 9) said Facebook has failed to address dangerous content in India and demanded that the head of public policy there be removed. A letter addressed to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and his second-in-command Sheryl Sandberg wanted the social network’s India policy chief Ankhi Das sidelined […]